As we all know, Donald Trump has always had a love/hate relationship with the media. He absolutely loves the constant attention, but bristles at even the slightest criticism, which he inevitably calls Fake News.
But what a lot of people don’t know about Trump is that he actually has a plan to get rid of all the so-called fake news. To stop people from criticizing him in the media. That plan is twofold.
First, he has repeatedly said over the years that he wants to change the libel laws so that media outlets can be sued.
“We are going to take a strong look at our country’s libel laws so that when somebody says something that is false and defamatory about someone, that person will have meaningful recourse in our courts.”
Changing the libel laws means that members of the media could be jailed if they refuse to reveal anonymous sources. It would have a devastating effect on the media’s ability to investigate corruption, or even to criticize Trump – which is exactly what he wants.
Second, Trump has also talked about revising Section 230, which is the law granting legal immunity to online platforms for third-party content, allowing them to host user-generated content without being held liable for it.
Section 230 is widely credited with allowing the internet to develop as it has, as it provides basic immunity for online services and how content is generated by its users.
Trump outlined his plans in his Agenda 47 that he published last year. He stated: “I will ask Congress to send a bill to my desk revising Section 230 to get big online platforms out of censorship business.”
Revising Section 230, in conjunction with changes to libel laws, would effectively cause online services – including social media platforms like YouTube – to tamp down on content that they could potentially be sued over.
This means that social media platforms which allow content that is critical of the government, or critical of one specific person, say Donald Trump, would be at risk of being sued by those who are supporters for that one specific person – or even by the government itself.
But in addition, social media platforms would be under pressure to allow MORE content that is filled with deliberate misinformation, disinformation – and especially – government propaganda. They would simply be less likely to remove that content under fear of being sued for censorship.
In other words, without the protection of Section 230, social media platforms will be under a great deal of pressure to remove content that the Trump administration doesn’t like. And they will also be under pressure to allow more content that is deliberately misleading, or even government propaganda.
With those changes, a virtual tsunami of misinformation will be coming to social media, and it will not only make the truth harder to find, but it will serve to glorify Donald J. Trump.
But Trump’s willingness to use the Federal Government as his attack dog isn’t the only power he wields. An article today on Axios summed this up the best, with the headline reading “Media’s MAGA Makeover”.
Here are a few quotes from this superb article, which I highly recommend you check out:
Trump-friendly billionaires are consolidating control over American media, steering legacy brands and social platforms in a new conservative direction.
The media landscape of 2016 is unrecognizable. Once dominated by critics of President Trump, today’s fragmented ecosystem is increasingly controlled — or threatened — by forces aligned with the White House.
The media’s MAGA makeover is unfolding on two fronts — high-profile acquisitions that give Trump allies control of marquee platforms, and quieter rebrands that soften once-critical coverage or policies.
No modern media deal has more profoundly reshaped U.S. politics than Elon Musk’s 2022 takeover of Twitter (now X), which turned the digital town square into a platform dominated by MAGA voices.
It soon may be eclipsed by another seismic deal: Oracle, chaired by Trump ally Larry Ellison, is seeking to take control of TikTok’s U.S. operations
The proposal… could give one of Trump’s billionaire allies unprecedented sway over a platform central to youth culture and political organizing.
Skydance’s acquisition of Paramount this summer handed Ellison’s son, David, control of CBS News
The Ellisons are also working on a cash bid to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery, which owns CNN — potentially putting two of America’s most iconic TV news brands under the purview of one Trump-aligned family.
Major tech and media executives made a series of overtures to Trump in the wake of the 2024 election… Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg pivoted hard after years of tensions…
Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos killed the paper’s endorsement of then-Vice President Harris…
L.A. Times owner Patrick Soon-Shiong spiked his paper’s Harris endorsement…
Univision,the largest Spanish-language broadcaster in the U.S. and onetime left-leaning voice for Latinos, has ingratiated itself with the Trump administration under its new owner…
Mainstream outlets that remain adversarial to Trump have come under heavy financial, political and regulatory pressure.
Trump filed a $15 billion defamation lawsuit against The New York Times this week, claiming the paper is a “full-throated mouthpiece of the Democrat Party.”
He’s also accused ABC and NBC of functioning as arms of the Democratic Party, and said last month he would be “in favor” of the FCC pulling their broadcast licenses.
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting was forced to shut down after Congress cut nearly $1.1 billion in federal funding for PBS and NPR, which Trump had accused of liberal bias.
Even today, Trump made obvious what his immediate goals are with the broadcast media. Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump said:
“There is a license. I’ll give you an example. I read someplace that the networks were 97% against me. again, 97% negative. And yet I won, and easily won all seven swing states… And then 97% against. They give me only bad publicity. And I mean, they’re getting a license, I would think maybe their license should be taken away.”
Trump added that the decision on taking away a broadcast license will be up to FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, a strong Trump supporter, but he made it clear that in his view, they should lose their licenses because of the coverage that is critical of him.
So that is where we are right now. Not only is Donald Trump using the full weight of the Federal Government to go after those who speak negatively about him, but large parts of the media itself are already capitulating to him.
And the reason they are is because they recognize that no one can fight the beast. They understand the pettiness and vindictiveness of the man they’re dealing with, and that standing up to him will result in their destruction.
I say all of this not as a warning that we have to somehow stop Trump from doing this, because I believe these things are inevitable. He and his hardcore supporters have made it clear what they intend to do.
I do expect that either later this year, or in early 2026, Donald Trump will move forward with his plans to change the libel laws and revise section 230. To basically take government control of certain parts of the media.
And if that sounds too crazy to believe, need I remind you that Trump has already used the power of the Federal Government to attack those who oppose him; to force them to take a knee before him lest they be destroyed.
There is simply no reason to think that he will suddenly turn into someone who believe he needs to respect the constitution. He is a dictator.
For those of use who are Christian, we need to draw closer to God in these last days, that no matter what Donald Trump tries to do to us in the coming months and years, he is NOT our king.
We have but one King, and this is Jesus Christ. ♦